“One.”
I rolled my shoulders back, tried to breathe.
“Two.”
Ohgod—
“Three—”
My heart was pounding so hard I could feel it in my ears as I dragged the board to the left. I had just enough time to register that I did, in fact, not fuck it up, and then—
There he was.
And my brain kind of shut off.
Gray-green eyes. Taut, muscled skin catching the early light. Short black hair tousled by the morning breeze. A face I’d already seen too many times around the resort—and way too many times on his social media, mid-jump off cliffs, sunburned and grinning like danger was his favorite hobby—now standing right in front of me, looking just as unreal out here on the sand.
DanielfuckingHarding.
Son of Thomas Harding. One of Kahua Kai Resort’s biggest shareholders. The guy I had no business thinking about, let alone standing half-naked in front of before the sun was even up.
My mouth opened.
The shutter clicked.
And what came out was, “Fuck me—”
CHAPTER 02: DANNY
Wow.
This isdifferent.Thisguy’sdifferent.
His lips parted, eyes going a little too wide, and then, “Fuck me—”
The laugh that bubbled up in my chest was half amusement, half nervous energy. “I mean, that’s a little forward…” I shifted my feet in the sand, widening my stance.
Those thick lashes fluttered as he kept staring at me, something soft and startled in his eyes. “Sorry, no,” his deep voice rumbled between us, low but still carrying over the sound of the waves. “I mean, hi. Nice to meet you.” He held out his hand, a bit stiff.
I buried my board more securely before taking a step, then paused to glance back at Sadie.
“Don’t worry about me!” she called.
The shutter clicked as I turned back to him.
“Daniel, but you can call me Danny.” My gaze flicked to his outstretched hand and then back up, offering what I hoped was a charming smile as I opened my arms. “Do you mind?”
He shook his head, steadied his board, and stepped closer. I didn’t quite stay where I was either, drifting forward without really deciding to until I felt the warmth of his skin.
“Jessie,” he said softly.
I smiled to myself before stepping back to get a better look at him. Where the hell had this guy come from?
He wasn’t a pretty boy. He had that slightly roughed-up look that worked in his favor. A sharp, solid jaw dusted with dark stubble, a nose just a little crooked, like it’d been broken once and never quite bothered to be fixed. Buzzed dark hair and warm brown eyes, his skin had that deep, even tan of someone who actually lived outside, not just vacationed here. His lips had a faint tilt that made him look approachable, even though the rest of him was a little intimidating.
He was toned, especially in his arms and legs; less so over his stomach. His neck was thick, shoulders broad and sturdy, and tattoos decorated his skin—full sleeves, a chest piece, a few creeping up his neck and across his hands. One peeked out right where his wetsuit started at his hips. Enticingly. He was about my height, maybe an inch taller.
He lookednothinglike the guys I was used to dating. Not a pretty boy, but fuck, he was hot.
